Charlotte Hornets Report - Week of January 19th-25th
Credit: Charlotte Hornets
LAST 3 GAMES
- @ Sacramento Kings: L, 97-104
- @ San Antonio Spurs: W, 108-93
- vs. Sacramento Kings: W, 114-95
The Hornets ended their west coast road trip this week and even though the full trip wasn’t successful, the final destination was. Charlotte went 2-1 this week, so I consider it somewhat of a success. They split games with the Kings and beat the Spurs in San Antonio. These were all tough games and the Hornets walked away winning the majority. I thought the impact of a missing Cody Zeller was really going to be felt this week, but they came away better than I thought they would. As usual, Kemba Walker was the lead man in all three games, but Willy Hernangómez came up big in the win against the Kings Thursday night, securing 16 rebounds off of the bench and speaking of the bench. They were tremendous at home against the Kings. One thing that I’m not understanding is why Frank Kaminsky is not touching the court. He is an asset to the team and should receive minutes. Look for him to be traded by the deadline if he does not get much playing time in the near future. The upcoming stretch of games this week aren’t too difficult for the Hornets, but nothing to scoff at either. It will be important for them to get on a good roll going into the second half of the season.
NEXT 4 GAMES
- vs. Phoenix Suns (11-35): Saturday January 19th at 5:00pm
- @ Indiana Pacers (29-15): Sunday January 20th at 6:00pm
- @Memphis Grizzlies (19-25): Wednesday January 23rd at 8:00pm
- @ Milwaukee Bucks (32-12): Friday January 25th at 8:30pm
To start off this week’s slate of games, the Hornets will face off against the worst team in the West. The Western Conference is a difficult one to succeed in, however, it’s no accident that the Suns are where they are. They’re statistically at the bottom in many categories. The Hornets played the Suns nearly two weeks ago, where they won on the road, 119-113. Again, Kemba Walker was the leading man scoring 29 points. If you look at the stats in that matchup, the Suns should’ve easily won the game, but rebounds were the killer for them. Charlotte outrebounded them 58-41, but offensive rebounds in particular were the most important. This time the Hornets are at home, so look for them to come out firing after a two-game win streak. Also, they are honoring Glen Rice at the game and it will be another classic jersey night for the Hornets, so make sure to get your tickets.
The next three games are a mini-Midwest road trip. The Hornets are traveling to Indianapolis, Memphis, and Milwaukee. The first game is against the Pacers, who have really put together a great season. The Pacers have the 2nd best scoring defense in the NBA and will be a tough road test for Charlotte. They have a great all-around scoring arsenal with Victor Oladipo leading the Indiana squad with 19.3 PPG. They also have the NBA’s leading shot blocker in Myles Turner. Earlier in November, these two teams met and the Hornets took the W, 127-109. Jeremy Lamb was actually the leading scorer in the game and Kemba compiled 11 assists that night in the win. It was a home game for Charlotte and the Pacers were playing without Victor Oladipo, so look for things to be different in this matchup. As I mentioned earlier, the Pacers have a great defense and to go along with that, they are a very efficient offense. A win will not come easy for Charlotte, so great defense will have to be crucial for them in this contest.
Next up is the Memphis Grizzlies. I just mentioned that the Pacers have the 2nd best scoring defense, to top that, the Grizzlies have the best in the NBA. The thing about Memphis however, is that their offense is somewhat lacking. This is good for the Hornets, but they will have to be careful about a few things. Marc Gasol is still a great player and is nearly the epitome of what an efficient big man should be. On the same note, Mike Conley is still a very solid PG and will cause a disturbance for Charlotte. One player that the Hornets have never met before is Jaren Jackson Jr. He is a rookie PF and will be a great NBA player one day. He is just 19 years old and is averaging 13.2 PPG this season for the Grizzlies. With Cody Zeller still out of action, look for Jackson and Gasol to be active in the matchup. It looks like Kyle Anderson will be out in this game, so that will slightly slow down Memphis. He is a defensive threat and a great passing wing, so that is one thing the Hornets don’t have to worry about. These two teams haven’t played this year yet, so it will be interesting to see two totally different styles clashing in this one.
The last game of this week’s slate is going to be the toughest one for the Hornets. The Milwaukee Bucks are the best team in the Eastern Conference and to make matters worse, they’re the best home team in the NBA. The two teams have met twice this year, splitting a game each. Milwaukee has played tremendous basketball this season, only trailing the Warriors in PPG, and they are a top 10 defense as far as opponent scoring goes. As always, the Greek Freak will be a force in this matchup and there is no real way to stop him. The Hornets will have to make sure great defense is played against the others. Charleston native Khris Middleton has been solid against the Hornets in his career, so look for him to be utilized a good bit. Another player that I’m really looking out for is Malcolm Brogdon. The Virginia product is a very smart guard and will be hard to stop. If the Hornets can somehow slow down Antetokounmpo, that will obviously be the key to victory in this one, but putting great defense on Bledsoe, Brogdon, and Middleton will be vital as well.
Yacs
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